Featured Health Blogs

Is Your Social Environment Negatively Affecting Your Health?
We all like having fun, but sometimes we forget the possible long-term dangers of our personal choices and how our social environments affect our health. If you frequently go out drinking, eat unhealthy meals, or engage in high-risk behaviors, you are creating unhealthy habits that can seriously damage your future wellbeing.
This isn't to say that you can never enjoy yourself or indulge a little with your friends. Of course you can. But the key to remaining healthy is moderation. If you drink a lot alcohol, eat fat-laden foods, and regularly take risks, both your physical and your mental health will start to deteriorate... probably sooner rather than later.
Comparison Issues
Unhealthy social behaviors do not have to be as obvious as getting drunk or speeding down the highway. For most people, socializing leads to comparisons with others, which can negatively affect one’s health. There’s definitely nothing wrong with wanting to be successful, but, when you're out with friends who are talking about their most recent accomplishments and even bragging a little, it's easy to start feeling competitive and bad about yourself. This can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression.
Dating
Whether you are looking for the perfect mate or just want to go out and have a good time, dating plays a major role in many people’s lives. Due to the ever-growing popularity of social media, even if you're a bit introverted, it's now easier to meet people than ever before.
There are plenty of emotional and physical benefits to dating, but there are health dangers as well. An unwanted pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease can not just ruin a relationship; it can ruin a life. It's important to keep these things in mind before engaging in any type of physical relationship. If you are aware of the social consequences of your actions, it's not difficult to stay safe.
The Role of Social Media
Social media can play a big role in creating an unhealthy social environment. For many people, it's just plain addictive. A recent study indicates that 63 percent of Americans login to Facebook at least once a day. Forty percent of that number of users check their account several times a day. The fact that social media often times glamorizes alcohol and drug use makes it harder for some people to "just say no." Many diehard social media users have wider mood swings and are unhappier than users who don't participate as frequently.
Believe it or not, this addiction is so common that researchers have created the "Berge Facebook Addiction Scale." This scale uses six criteria to measure an individual's level of addiction. Answering "yes" to 4 out of 6 of the criteria questions indicates a problem.
People often feel pressured by their friends to do things they don’t want to just to be "part of the crowd." Don't let this happen to you. On the other hand, if you really enjoy some activities that are not so good for you, you might want to think about slowing down. It's never too late to take steps to improve your health. Remember, it won't make you a social outcast, it will make you a healthier person and a more cautious friend. What could be better than that?
Tweet: Yes, it's true - your social environment can negatively affect your health. This important information helps to explain why.

All of us want to feel good about ourselves. When we are confident, we feel better emotionally and mentally and this reflects in a very positive way in our behaviors, and improves our quality of life, everything from personal relationships to our professional endeavors. Therefore, anything, which can help boost our self-confidence, is good for us. One of the best ways to boost your self-confidence is by exercising regularly. This not only good for self-assurance but has great health benefits.
So how can exercise boost self-confidence?
Here Are 10 Ways How Exercising Boosts Your Confidence
1. Weight Control. Exercising along with healthy eating is the best way to control weight or lose weight. This is all about energy intake and energy burning. Obviously, if you burn more energy than you take in, then the more you will lose weight. Being overweight is a confidence destroyer. Therefore the better shape you are, the better you will feel.
2. Improves mood. There's nothing better emotionally than a good workout. Before you think that this requires a trip to the gym, think again. A good workout could be a brisk walk, or a jog. In fact, anything that makes your bodywork physically harder can be a workout. What this does is to stimulate brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which promote a general feeling of well-being. The results are a reduction in stress and anxiety.
3. It's good for the heart. Regular exercising lowers the risk of various heart-related conditions. Exercising has been proven to lower blood pressure, reduce problems associated with diabetes and can even help in fighting heart disease. This is quite logical – if exercising reduces weight, then this means that the heart has to work less and in turn, the heart is much healthier. There is also less pressure on joints and other areas of the body.
4. Keeps the body in shape. This is slightly different from weight control. Being is shape involves having a well-toned body and better posture – all aspects connected with self-confidence. When a person feels good about himself, it's easier to make friends and more connections in life means more confidence.
5. More energy. If we don't have the energy to do things, then everything becomes a chore. That can lead to feelings of feeling bad about oneself. Regular exercise helps the whole bodywork more effectively. The result is that chores become responsibilities and the more responsibility we are coping with, the better we feel.
6. Better sleep. Regular exercise promotes good sleep. It is proven that sleep is necessary for general feelings of well-being. Sleep is also necessary for how we look. Just imagine preparing for an important meeting and looking in the mirror and seeing dark circles under bloodshot eyes – how confident will you feel? Therefore, exercising will improve sleep. One word of warning – just don't exercise too near bedtime.
7. Improves productivity. One of the best ways to clear the mind is to exercise regularly. Exercise gives you a chance to wipe the slate clean and start from new. In addition, if you push yourself exercising you can realize new potentials and this in turn boosts self-confidence. Very often, what you thought was a major problem before exercising disappears after.
8. Give you something to look forward to. Once you have a reasonable schedule for exercising, you will start to look forward to it. This in itself is a confidence booster. Once you start seeing the benefits of exercising, you will have the desire to continue and in the end, you feel better and look better.
9. Improves concentration. In general exercising helps us to develop the necessary skills to concentrate on the task in hand. This then trains us better when we have tasks or responsibilities to concentrate better, resulting in more praise and benefits.
10. Feelings of control and achievement. In general, exercising has so many benefits to health and mind that we can't help having a feeling of control and achievement. Working out takes work, dedication, commitment, and care for oneself, and all this facilitates enormous feelings of confidence.
Don’t Wait! Get Started Today!
Try incorporating regular exercising into your routine and you will experience the many benefits to your self-confidence that regular exercising gives.

The idea that you can use humor, laughter, and play to promote your health probably seems too simple to be true. However, it really is true and that simple.
A sense of humor, laughter and play all have a part in keeping us healthy. There are benefits to increasing humor, laughter, and play into your life that will affect you mentally, physically and socially.
Humor And Laughter
The sound of laughter is infectious. Have you ever heard a belly laugh of a young child and been able to resist smiling in return? The sound of a roaring laugh is far more contagious than a sniffle, sneeze, or cough.
When laughter is shared between people, it binds them together and increases happiness and intimacy. Laughter is beneficial physically, mentally and socially.
Some of the physical benefits include:
Boosted Immunity
Lower stress hormones
Preventing heart disease
Relaxing your muscles
Decreasing pain
Some of the mental benefits include:
Easing anxiety and fear
Improving mood
Adding joy and zest to life
Stress relief
Enhancing resilience
Some of the social benefits include:
Enhancing teamwork
Helps to diffuse conflict
Promotes group bonding
Strengthens relationships
Attracts others to us
What About Play
Play is an important part of ensuring you stay healthy. We are often encouraged to make sure our children play, and are told of the benefits to children being out playing. However, what we often forget is that it is just as important for adults to incorporate play into their lives as it is for children.
There is no age limit to the advantages of play. Physical play is important for the elderly to ensure help delay or prevent cognitive decline. While the studies are still in the early stages, the studies that have been done have shown that physical play definitely plays a part in prevent cognitive decline.
There is also no situation that is too serious for play to be included. Playing at work is essential for getting through stressful situations.
Play gives people the emotional distance to rally from a hard day. This is true for people who have a dangerous job, such as a police officer, as well as for people who work in an office or from home.
Some of the benefits of play include:
Stress relief
Improved brain function
Boosted creativity and productivity
Improved relationships
Helps you feel younger
Play is also great for relationships
It brings joy, vitality, and resilience to our relationships and also helps us learn how to trust one another and feel safe.
How Can You Incorporate More Play, Laughter And Humor Into Your Life
Be more spontaneous: Being spontaneous helps you to get out of your head and away for your troubles.
Smile: Smiling is the beginning of laughter. A smile is also just as contagious as laughter is. When you experience something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling. Smile at everyone you pass in the street, you will feel happier just by sharing a smile, even with a stranger.
Watch comedy: Comedy shows, either live or on television or DVD are a great and effortless way to laugh more. There are tons of comedians to choose from, so there is something for everyone.
Count your blessings: By making a list of all the good things in your life, you will see all the reasons you have to smile. Making a list of all the good in your life will also help you focus more on the good and forget about the bad.
Spend time with fun, playful people: These are the people who find humor in everyday events. Their laughter is contagious. These are also the people who are more likely to be willing to play a game with you.
Dance whenever you can: It sounds silly. However, letting your body moves gets your blood flowing and increases endorphins.
Set up a game night: Game nights take minimal effort and will encourage laughter, play, and emotional release. Playing games together is a great way to stay connected and engaged with your family and friends.
Incorporating more play, humor, and laughter into your life isn’t difficult and yet brings a multitude of benefits to your life.
Taking even just fifteen minutes, a day to implement some of the above tips into your life is enough that you will begin seeing the positive effects.

One of the most limiting things a person can experience in this life is self-doubt. It has the ability to keep you feeling locked away in a prison of your own insecurities. It will suffocate your ability to explore and be free to engage with opportunities and adventures and it will hold you back from ever achieving the things that you really want.
I have personally met people who even gave up on wanting anything at all due to having such a high level of self-doubt. Their insecurities had escalated to such a point over the course of their life where they eventually gave up on even considering that they had any level of freedom at all regarding their own choices.
This is a terrible place to find ourselves in and it causes a person to live a life that has been massively limited by the illusory constructs that have formed in their mind. Fortunately, though, with a little work and the right amount of determination there is something that we can do to conquer this.
Dominating Doubt
Doubt itself, by its very nature is negative. It is something that denounces and turns down any thoughts of positive or action-inspiring suggestion. If left unchecked, doubt becomes a mindset that keeps a person completely closed off from the world of positive inspiration and it keeps a person confined to a self-centred and destructive ego.
In order to dominate doubt we must first desire to do so. If we do not have the desire to at least investigate the ability to overcome doubt, then there is truly no hope for us.
A person who is happy to live in a world of doubt is like a cancer that will infect and overcome anyone who has even a shred of positivity to express, like a black hole, they consume all light, and there is no hope of it ever being re-produced in return.
Someone who has decided to overcome doubt though is like a black hole that has decided to try to stop sucking in everything and instead has chosen to learn how to produce and create a little light.
Without having made the choice to do this, without having personally decided that they want to become more positive, more inspiring and more encouraging, a person has no hope of ever conquering their own self-doubt.
The Argument Of Doubt
The main argument that people offer to encourage their own self-doubt is that they have either never been able to, or never witnessed something happen. For example, if you try to encourage a person to become a confident public speaker and they harbor massive amounts of internal self-doubt, they will argue that they have never been able to speak confidently in public before and so they just think that from their own point of view, it cannot be done.
Another person who doubts the ability of someone to come up with some kind of new and enlightening invention doubts it because he has never seen it done before and therefore thinks it simply cannot be done. In all cases of self-doubt, a person is living with a mindset that has experienced great limitation somewhere in the past.
Therefore, when we know this, we can implement strategies to conquer and eventually destroy these specific doubts. How do we do this?
Creationism
No not the kind of creationism that claims the world was created in 6 days and that all life on earth is somewhere in the region of 6,000 years old, do not even get me started on that! What I am talking about is a form of creationism that is completely and intimately personal. It is inspirational, encouraging, motivating, it is creating and producing and freeing. It is everything that self-doubt is not.
This works for all kinds of self-doubt and insecurity because it has the effect of contradicting and opposing every form that self-doubt or insecurity takes. We intimately prove the self-doubting limitation wrong, and eventually the mind learns a newer and more positive way of thinking about things, because it has witnessed firsthand the undoing of every single one of its limiting, doubting thoughts.
In order to do this we must either show or create a case for the opposite. We need proof. Show yourself the opposite of your own self-doubt. Investigate and encourage yourself to try your very best to achieve or to witness or experience the very thing that your mind doubts.
Commit yourself to the challenge of proving every single one of your doubts wrong, and if you can do this, you will slowly re-program your mind to be able to achieve anything that you could possibly want to achieve.
Conquer the limitations of your doubts and you become a purely positive, inspirational, creative force of life on this planet earth.
Sit with your doubting mind however, and you will begin to fester in a world of negativity, opposition, and argument for all things limiting. I know which path I would rather choose.

Running is in itself one of the very best things you can possibly do to improve your health and it has numerous highly beneficial effects on the body. These range from increasing muscle mass in the legs, to lowering your heartrate to helping you to burn more calories.
But while all this is true, it’s not just the running that is so good for you. Equally important is the simple fact that you’re outdoors, which actually has incredible benefits all on its own. Read on and we’ll examine some of these benefits.
Sunlight
The first big benefit of being outdoors comes from the sun. When you run, you expose yourself to the sun’s rays. While these can be harmful in high doses, they’re also critical for our health in many other ways. For starters, they encourage the production of vitamin D. This not only helps to strengthen your bones but also improves sleep and testosterone production. The sun also gives us a healthy, natural glow that comes from being tanned.
Earthing
Nobody is entirely sure if ‘Earthing’ is definitely beneficial but it’s something that a lot of people claim is. Essentially, the idea is that by coming into direct contact with the ground when you sit on it or touch it, you can actually help to restore the body’s correct charge, potentially combating inflammation. Some studies back this up but they aren’t particularly rigorous in their methodology. Either way, it certainly doesn’t hurt anyone!
Fresh Air
Fresh air is also highly beneficial for our health. For starters, it has been shown to significantly improve our circulation and also to improve our breathing in generally. It aids with sleep and it boosts the immune system too!
Nature
Believe it or not, just being in nature can also be very good for us. This is because it has a profound effect on us psychologically – basking in nature helps to encourage the release of ‘feel good hormones’ and to lower stress levels. It has even been shown to increase creativity, which is one reason that you often come up with your best ideas while going for walks.
Weather
And even the weather can be good for you! Contrary to popular belief, getting some exposure to cold air is actually a good thing. That’s because it gently taxes your immune system, acting as a kind of ‘training’ for it and thereby strengthening it in the long run.
Additonally, running is one of the absolute best ways to burn calories, build muscle in your legs and also improve your overall health and fitness. Human beings evolved to be runners and so it should come as no surprise that we are much happier and healthier when this is something we do regularly.
But of course running is not going to be for everyone. Some people will naturally take to running more than others and if you don’t find that it’s your cup of tea, you may want to look for an alternative. Or perhaps you find that running is hard on your knees? Or that you don’t have anywhere scenic to try it? Read on and we’ll look at some of the best alternatives you can try instead…
Roller Skating
Roller skating is an interesting alternative to running and one that a lot of people don’t consider. While it’s not quite as much of a ‘transferrable skill’, it’s low impact and a lot of people love the feeling of going at such high speeds!
The same goes for skateboarding or even using scooters and the like!
Swimming
Swimming is once again a low impact alternative to running. At the same time, it has the distinct advantage of being a fantastic full-body workout that will be particularly effective at building up the lats and the trap – as well as the legs!
Trail Running
Trail running is a form of running that involves running ‘off road’. Normally, this means running through forests and across beaches. Not only does this often increase the challenge, thereby enabling you to build more muscle strength and endurance in your legs but it also makes the run more interesting in many cases!
Battle Ropes
Here’s something pretty different… Battle ropes essentially involves standing at the end of two long, heavy ropes and then beating them against the ground in a rhythmical motion. This requires a lot of exertion and challenges your coordination, power and cardiovascular endurance!
Cycling
Another low impact alternative to running. This might mean cycling on a treadmill, or it might mean cycling outdoors. Of course the latter is better for you but the former has the advantage of allowing you to watch TV or otherwise catch up with your reading.
Skipping
Jumping rope is one of the preferred cardio workouts for boxers. It’s a great way to get as cut and lean as Rocky Balboa!

Stress affects just about everyone’s daily lives. Unfortunately, stress is not a benign thing. It can affect your body in ways that can have a long lasting impact on your health. Here are some ways stress can affect your health:
The Effect Of Stress On Your Brain - Stress can cause you to lose your concentration and memory abilities. Whether this is psychological or physiological is not completely clear. When you are under stress, parts of your brain associated with memory, such as the hippocampus, do not work well and you cannot turn short-term memory into long-term memory. You can also fail to concentrate on things you hear or things you are reading. It isn’t clear whether this is a long-term effect or short-term effect; however, things like stress reduction techniques seem to be able to restore your ability to think.
The Effect Of Stress On Your Gastrointestinal Tract - Stress triggers the body’s fight or flight response so that epinephrine and norepinephrine are released from your adrenal glands. This has multiple effects on the body. One thing this phenomenon does is shunt blood away from the gastrointestinal tract and toward the muscles of the body as a way of gearing up to “fight or flee” from a real or imagined opponent. This can lead to a decreased blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract, which translates into indigestion and poor uptake of nutrients. Fortunately, this can be short-lived unless you live under situations of chronic stress. Then the GI system will be more permanently affected.
The Effect Of Stress On Your Cardiovascular System - Stress causes the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine, which automatically raises your blood pressure and heart rate. This puts more stress on your heart and puts you at higher risk of suffering from hypertension-related diseases like heart failure, stroke, and heart attack. These kinds of things do not happen overnight but if you suffer from chronic stress, the long lasting implications of heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, heart failure, and stroke are real possibilities, especially if you do not eat well or have a strong family history of heart disease.
The Effect Of Stress On Your Immune System - Excess stress also causes the release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex. Cortisol has many effects on the body but one of the main ones is that it suppresses the immune system. High levels of cortisol mean that you are at greater risk of getting colds and the flu and have a harder time healing from open sores, cuts, or wounds. Cortisol can suppress several aspects of the immune system so you will find yourself sicker more often when under stress than you would be if you were under less stress.
Things You Can Do To Reduce Stress
Because stress can negative impact on your body, you need to do what you can to lessen the stress on your life so you can remain healthy. Sometimes it is just a matter of reducing the things in your life that are major sources of stress. It might mean getting out of a stressful relationship, getting your finances in order or changing your job situation so you don’t go to work each day with stressful feelings.
If you can’t change your circumstances, you may want to practice stress-relieving techniques. These include things like meditation, Tai chi & yoga. Another great way to reduce stress is to take a vacation, or spend time in nature that naturally calms the mind, body, and spirit.

As people age, their brain’s lose weight and volume. These changes may start to occur in people as early as their mid to late 20s. Previous research has shown people who meditate to lose less brain mass over time than those who do not. In particular, research concluded people who meditated showed less of a decrease in their white brain matter.
White brain matter acts as a connector and insulator for gray brain matter. It carries nerve impulses between the functional parts of the brain. Gray brain matter houses the various neurological centers of the brain, which direct speech, motor skills, memory, etc.
Meditation is something practiced by more than 15 million Americans and many more people around the world. It has its roots in eastern culture, but has been whole-heartedly embraced in western societies.
It has a wide variety of benefits, including:
Improves sleep
Inner peace and tranquility
Reduces chronic pain
Reduces stress and anxiety
Reduces depression
Boosts attention
Improves immunity
Helps with weight loss
Boosts memory
Improves heart health and lowers blood pressure
Improves wellbeing and allows for deeper relationships
Now it seems that meditation may also help to keep our brains young.
Interesting Experiments
A team of researchers from UCLA wondered if meditation preserves the gray matter of people who meditate as well. The researchers found meditation to have a widespread effect on the entire brain not just specific regions of the brain associated with meditation.
The study compared people having years of meditation experience with those who had none. The meditators had an average of 20 years of experience with meditation practice. The age range of the of the study participants included people in their mid-20s to their late 70s. Nearly equal numbers of men and women participated in the study with 28 men and 22 women.
They found the meditators still experienced a decline in gray matter with age but less than non-meditators.
The researchers noted the positive outcome of the study but caution people reviewing the results; they were unable to establish a direct link to meditation and the preservation of gray matter. Another UCLA study conducted in 2012, showed meditators to have more gyrification, folds in their brains, which may contribute to an ability process information faster than usual.
Meditation appears to allow practitioners to maintain both white and gray matter and form increased connections in the brain; it seems to keep the brain young.
Along with its positive effects on white and gray brain matter, meditation appears to have a positive effect on other body functions.
Anti-Aging Benefits Of Meditation
The youth preserving and renewing benefits of meditation include:
Meditation increases DHEA, which facilitates the production of the hormones that maintain fat and mineral metabolism.
An increase in Melatonin, which acts as antioxidant, supplies immune support and fights depression.
A decrease in cortisol, the stress hormone that encourages the body to retain dangerous belly fat associated with heart disease and diabetes.
The Effects Of Meditation
Part of feeling and maintaining a youthful mental outlook centers around the quality of one’s thinking patterns. Meditators learn to quiet mental chaos and build their ability to concentrate. They experience greater clarity of thought and tend to react less and respond more to circumstances. In short, they maintain their ability to be highly adaptive and think quickly with the additional benefit of choosing their response to situations rather than reacting to them.
How To Meditate
Meditators typically meditate at least twice a day for twenty minutes per sitting. Most schools of thought recommend meditation to start the day and to close it. However, a person may meditate whenever they have time in their schedule to accommodate it. Meditation is not an all or nothing proposition. It is also beneficial to meditate in shorter increments of time, sitting for 5, 10, or 15 minutes.
There are also several different methods of meditation, including:
Primordial Sound Meditation
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Zen
Transcendental Meditation
Yoga Meditation (Kundalini)
Focused Attention Meditation
Open Monitoring Meditation
Vipassana Meditation
Loving Kindness Meditation (Metta Meditation)
Mantra Meditation (OM Meditation)
Qigong (Chi kung)
Getting Started
A person new to meditation needs to be patient; it takes time to train the mind to focus and settle into a meditation practice. The first step is to decide which from of meditation you wish to practice, and then learn how to do it. If possible, obtain the services of an expert, and there are also many videos available on healthmace.com that can teach meditation methods. When beginning, try to meditate at the same time every day. If this is not possible, you can still meditate at different time. Building a meditation practice is more important than when you do it. The benefits of a consistent meditation practice can develop in a few weeks with continued practice preserving your brain's youthful dynamics for years to come.

Pilates is a type of anaerobic exercise that is designed to increase the strength and flexibility of your core muscles. The beauty of Pilates is that it can be done by just about anyone at any fitness level. It involves very little in the way of exercise equipment and can be done anywhere.
Pilates isn’t just for the young, athletic person. Because it doesn’t put undue strain on the heart, it can safely be done by older people, including women over the age of 50 years. It can improve the health of woman over 50 and doesn’t take a heavy toll on the body.
Why Pilates is Good for You
There are many reasons why Pilates can be a good exercise for women over the age of 50 years of age. Some of these benefits include the following:
Pilates involves an invigorating mind-body workout. Pilates places a heavy emphasis on using proper breathing techniques, aligning your spine correctly, and keeping your pelvic aligned. It involves concentrating on flowing, smooth movements that help you become more in tune to your mind and body. When you do Pilates, you learn to control your movements by practicing quality exercises that focus on the core. There is a focus on breathing to the tune of your movements so that you can use your power to efficiently move your body. By being a mind-body workout, Pilates teaches you how to breathe better, which can be great for women who are under a great deal of stress.
Pilates helps you develop strong core muscles. Much of the focus in Pilates is the strengthening of the core of your body. The core of your body is the central part of your body—both the abdominal muscles and the back muscles. Pilates helps you strengthen these muscles so that you can move with ease as you go about your day with complete control over these essential core muscles. Pilates can help you find integration between your pelvis, trunk, and shoulder muscles so that they function as a strong unit.
Pilates helps increase flexibility and allows your muscles to lengthen. Many anaerobic workouts, such as weight lifting or using weight machines will only lead to muscles that are bulky and short. These muscles tend to be more likely to be injured and aren’t the kind of muscles you want to have. Instead of bulky “body-building muscles”, Pilates helps you elongate your muscles, strengthening them at the same time. Your muscles will become more elastic and you will have increased flexibility of your joints. When you achieve these kinds of muscles, you are less likely to become injured.
Pilates can help you prevent muscle injuries and can improve your performance in other sports. Most other anaerobic workouts work the same muscles over and over again, such as the biceps muscles or quadriceps muscles. Sometimes these muscles are exercised to the exclusion of other muscles. You can easily over-strengthen certain muscles, while other muscles are under-strengthened. In Pilates, all the core muscles are strengthened at the same time so that you have a decreased chance of becoming injured while working out or by doing your ordinary activities of daily living.
Pilates conditions the entire body. In doing Pilates, you strengthen not only your core muscles but also strengthen the muscles of your extremities. Pilates doesn’t emphasize one set of muscles to the exclusion of other muscles. When you do Pilates, you can function better in daily living and will be better at sports with a decreased chance of becoming injured while doing other types of sports.
Pilates helps you move with better efficiency. When you do Pilates, you train many different muscles at the same time. Pilates involves doing smooth and continuous motions so that you can train your body to move with more safety, decreasing your risk of falls and the fractures that can come with falling.
As you can see, Pilates is an activity with many benefits for women over 50. If you are interested in doing Pilates as a form of anaerobic exercise, take a Pilates class or purchase a DVD that will teach you how to safely do the exercises. You can practice Pilates every day with a low risk of suffering from any kind of overuse injury to your muscles.

Heartburn, a digestive ailment is a very common medical condition today. The common symptoms are sore throat, sensation in the chest, bitter taste of mouth, difficulty in swallowing and coughing. These are the few symptoms of this digestive problem and one can treat it by taking a suitable medication. Today, thousands of individuals are suffering from this digestive ailment with different levels and frequencies.
In order to get rid of the symptoms of heartburn you need to improve your lifestyle to increase your overall productivity in the daily chores. The individuals suffering from heartburn need to check out their dietary habits. If you are having junk food at all times then it is the time to stop the consumption of junk food which is likely to cause frequent heartburn attacks. It is very important to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet to get rid of the heartburn symptoms. By making simple changes in your eating habits and diet plan you can significantly improve your digestion and health and this will eventually decrease your susceptibility to heartburn.
Another very important factor which influences the susceptibility to heartburn and many other ailments is sleep. Having adequate amount of sleep is very important in order to have a healthy living. During sleep your body undergoes the process of healing and regeneration. So, if you are not getting good amount of sleep for a prolonged period you are more likely to suffer from the consequences and heartburn is one of them. Stress is another very important factor which causes many conditions and diseases. Too much stress is not good for health and you should find out the ways to de-stress and relax yourself in order to have a healthy lifestyle. By implementing these small changes you can improve your health and get rid of the symptoms of heartburn.
What you can do to avoid heartburn?
Our unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits are the main causes of the problem of heartburn or acid reflex. It is generally caused by the acid in our stomach. When this acid enters the esophagus, it causes a burning sensation in throat and chest. This problem can cause a lot of inconvenience and pain. By keeping a check on what we eat and how we eat our food, we can avoid this problem. Below mentioned are some healthy habits that you should incorporate in your lifestyle:
Eat healthy food: Make healthy foods a part of your diet. Avoid having foods which have high amount of fat or spices. Your method of cooking should also be healthy; it means that you should avoid frying your food in butter or oil.
Eat yoghurt: A major cause of heartburn is indigestion. Yoghurt contains a lot of good bacteria which help to make your digestion system strong and also improve your immunity.
Drink water: Water detoxifies your system from all unwanted components. It will help to keep your body well hydrated, so that you can avoid other unhealthy beverages, such as tea, coffee etc.
Eat smaller portions: heartburn generally occurs when you put pressure on your stomach. In order to avoid that you should eat smaller portions of food at regular intervals, rather than having three big meals a day.
Eat slowly: Take time to chew your food properly so that it can be digested easily. Eating your food slowly will help you to feel full and can thus avoid overeating.
Watch your weight: heartburn is also linked to obesity. Keep a check on your food intake and your weight. Include exercises and other physical activities in your routine.
Treatment for heartburn
One of the effective ways to significantly reduce the occurrence of heartburn attacks is to reduce the intake of acidic foods in your diet. The foods like citrus fruits, tomatoes, fried foods and chocolates are responsible for the occurrence of frequent attacks. Before going for a treatment to cure the chronic heartburn, you need to check out your dietary habits and also try to know about the foods which cause sensitivity particularly if you are having occasional heartburn attacks.
Another effective way to cure this problem is to improve your dietary habits as the individuals who suffer from the chronic heartburn need to have light and small meals after regular intervals rather than having a large meal 1- 2 times a day. Overweight individuals are probably more vulnerable to frequent heartburn attacks so, an efficient and helpful heartburn treatment plan should include changing your diet and also the frequency of your meals. Besides, the kind of drinks you have can also be one of the reasons for frequent occurrence of heartburns. Coffee, alcohol, regular sodas, fruit juices and diet sodas can cause the occurrence of heartburn in some individuals. An efficient treatment program will help you to identify the changes that you need to make out in your diet and lifestyle and helps you to cure the problem.
The problem of heartburn is mainly caused by unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits. By changing your lifestyle you can easily avoid this problem.
Natural remedies- an effective treatment for heartburn
In order to effectively deal with this problem, one needs to follow a lifestyle and a balanced diet which can successfully help to get rid of the symptoms. You can considerably reduce the occurrence of heartburn attacks if you follow certain tips which will help you to increase the productivity in your daily chores. To get rid of this digestive problem you should avoid the intake of acidic and spicy foods. The foods like oranges, tomatoes, grapefruit, chilies, pepper and vinegar are likely to cause frequent heartburn attacks in the individuals.
Also, it is advisable to those suffering from heartburn to have fat free foods and avoid oily foods as they can cause more severe heartburns in some individuals. Also, you should have light meals during the day instead of having one heavy meal. Heavy meals are likely to cause acid reflux problem. So, it is advisable to take short breaks between the meals and have light meals. Further, you should avoid the intake of carbonated drinks and the drinks having caffeine. A healthy alternative for these is to have ginger tea or yogurt. One of the most effective drinks to get rid of this problem is the lemon water which can reduce the severity of a problem to a considerable level. Also, it is advisable to avoid having snacks before going to sleep. By using these helpful tips you can get rid of this digestive problem and can improve your lifestyle.
Tips to avoid heartburn at night
A large number of people complain about heartburn during the night. Heartburn occurring at night is considered worse that the day because of many factors. First of all it disturbs your sleep and can disrupt your sleep pattern by keeping you awake. Another factor is that waking up to a burning sensation in your chest and throat can make you very uneasy at night. So the next morning you will wake up looking fatigued and worn out. By practicing the following remedies you can avoid this problem:
Avoid heavy meal: Our food gets digested more easily during the day as compared to the night. Try to have a light meal at night and avoid eating food that is fried or too spicy as it produces more acid.
Do not smoke or drink: You should not smoke or drink alcohol late in the night as it can relax the LES, which can cause the burning sensation of heartburn.
Sit straight: Your sitting posture is very important as it affects your digestive system. Always eat on the table and sit straight with your back against the chair.
Do not lie down immediately: You should never lie down immediately after having your dinner. At least give a gap of two to three hours, between your dinner and sleeping time.
Drink water: Drinking water before taking your meal will help you to feel full and can avoid overeating. Also you should not drink too much water during the meal.
Elevate head of the bed: Raise the head of your bed by about four to six inches. It will prevent the acid from flowing back into esophagus.
Do not exercise: Never exercise or indulge in some heavy physical activity right after your meal. You should give some time for the food to get digested.
Also avoid tight clothes. Do not wear very tight clothes in the night to avoid putting any pressure on your stomach. You will sleep much better in loose and comfortable clothes.

Scary Results From Eating Too Much Protein
According to statistics, most individuals in the US take in 3-5 times more protein than they need. An ideal protein intake is about 0.5 grams (500 mg) of protein per pound of lean body mass. This calculates to about 40-70 grams of protein per day. While high protein diets are extremely popular, eating excessive amounts of protein can be damaging to your health.
The Dangers Of Eating Too Much Protein
If you eat more protein than your body really can use can cause problems with your overall health and fitness in several ways.
Too much protein can lead to these health issues:
Increased blood sugar
Weight gain
Too much body fat
Stress on your kidneys, which must get rid of excess protein
Loss of minerals from your bones
Dehydration
Cancer cell stimulation
That being said, you need to know that your body cannot live without protein. While some amino acids can be made by the body, several essential amino acids cannot be made by the body tissues but must be taken in through food sources. Your amino acids are what make the protein that helps grow muscle, bony tissue, enzymes, and several hormones your body needs to survive.
Your body processes protein less efficiently as you age so that eating enough high quality protein becomes more important. You also need more protein during pregnancy so the fetus can use that protein in order to grow. Regular people who are not aging or pregnant can stick to eating 40-70 grams of protein daily as suggested.
There is an upper limit as to how much protein your body has the ability to make use of. We eat, on average, much more protein than our bodies need as well as too much carbohydrate-containing foods and not enough foods high in healthy fat.
Part of the problem is that the consumption of meat has risen to a great degree in the last century. Most of this meat is not high quality meat and comes from animal farms where animals are fed grains that have been genetically altered instead of grass in a pasture. You should eat meat that has been pasture-fed but even this can lead to protein excesses in the body.
What Protein Does In Your Body
When you eat protein, your body takes what it needs and converts all of the rest of it into sugar and finally into fat. When your blood sugar levels are increased from eating too much protein, you put yourself at risk of getting infections by yeast (called Candidiasis) and pathogenic bacteria. The growth of cancer cells is stimulated by the excesses of sugar and fat in your body.
There is a biochemical pathway known as the mammalian target of rapamycin that is stimulated by having too much protein in your system. This pathway plays a role in cancer formation. In order to avoid stimulating the pathway, you need to keep your protein levels to the proper amounts.
Eating too much protein causes stress on the kidneys. The kidneys are responsible for removing the nitrogenous waste products in the bloodstream and when there is too much protein, both the excess protein and water is lost through the kidneys, resulting in dehydration. This was proven in a research study that involved athletes who engaged in endurance sports.
Less Protein May Prolong Your Life
There have been recent research studies that relate to calorie restriction and longevity. In particular, restriction of protein intake leads to a longer life, particularly restriction of the amino acid known as methionine. This is found in high levels in meats. Other research indicates that the balance of amino acids might be the most important factor in gaining a long life.
Calculating The Amount Of Protein You Need
You need to know exactly how much protein you need to consume in order to be healthy. It can be calculated as taking in 500 mg of protein per pound of lean body mass or about 40-60 grams of protein daily. If you are excessively exercising or are pregnant, you need to take in about 25 percent more than that.
You also need to remember that a serving of protein is about the size of one deck of cards. Then you need to estimate the amount of protein you need. Your lean body mass is your percent body fat subtracted from a hundred. Make that into a percentage and multiply that by your total weight in pounds. Multiply that number into 0.5 grams per pound to get your protein requirement for the day.
What Foods To Eat
To get the protein you need, but not too much, choose protein found in eggs, dairy products, meat, fish, legumes, seeds, and nuts. Forty grams of protein isn’t really very much: about two hamburger patties. You do not need to be a vegetarian to avoid eating too much protein. Read food labels and look up the amount of protein in the foods you are eating. If you are eating too much, just adjust your diet so you are eating the right amount of protein.

It is a perfect situation when you go to sleep at 10:00pm, sleep undisturbed and wake up at 6:00am rested, especially for those of us with small children. Perfect doesn't always happen. Not to me. We fight the morning desire to stay in bed until the last minute and promise ourselves (and our spouses) that today we will go to bed on time or early and will not watch TV or surf the net before bed. But when the night comes, we do the same thing we did the night before - stay up late, watch TV and stare at our phones until our eyes start to close demanding rest.
Break the cycle. Do the change.
Try not to drink coffee or energy drinks after 2 pm. Coffee can worsen anxiety and insomnia, however, there are many benefits in drinking coffee including memory and brain alertness. Consuming coffee close to bed time will almost guarantee the inability to have a deep restful sleep. It is best to stop or reduce caffeine consumption after 2 pm. Organize your work schedule to have the most important and energy consuming activities (like long meeting) in the morning. It is also recommended to drink 2 glasses of water after drinking a cup of coffee to reduce "the crash" effect that usually comes within 30-40 minutes after you drank a caffeine drink. Water will continue to support high blood pressure and keep you awake and alert.
Try to create "before bed routine": do stretching exercises, hydrate your skin, use lavender oil as an aroma therapy: apply it to wrists (if you are not allergic) or pour oil on a small plate and place it next to your bed. Lavender helps relief stress and promotes relaxation.
Try to stay away from your phone before bed. If you can't stay off your phone - put it on "night shift". "Night shift" activates yellow light on your phone as oppose to blue light. Blue light keeps your brain more active and doesn't allow it to relax. Limit your time on the phone before bed to 10-15 minutes. Try not to check work phone/emails before bed. It will only bring worry and will interfere with the quality of your sleep, which in return will interfere with your ability to solve these problems the next day.
We all are governed by our habits. It's time to create new habits so we can create new ourselves.

We are what we eat, drink and breathe. I strongly believe that and constantly try to improve my life routine by being aware of what I eat, drink and how much time I spend outside. I also believe that sleeping habits and time that one devote to sleep greatly affects the choices that you will make in terms of food and fluid intake and amount of time person will spend outside. Person's energy level determines everything. I recently read a book by Tom Rath "Eat, Move, Sleep" which in summary advices to eat a lot of protein and avoid carbohydrates, stay active through out the day, and get enough sleep. While it seems like a common knowledge, majority of population does not follow healthy choices that can make a big difference in person's life. I believe that the key is to start now, if you are indoors - go outside and enjoy whatever the weather is; if the lunch time is approaching - think before hand what exactly and how much you will eat instead of making quick decision in front of the fast food counter. If we think about it: we always think through and plan big decisions in our life: marriage, having a child, buying a house. The decision about what to eat for lunch might seem small, but if you eat healthy for a month (as we know, it takes 30 days to build a new habit), your look will change, your energy level will go up and it will affect your entire life. So this one decision about lunch is not that small after all. Make a small step, one at a time, and the change will be great. That is my motto.

It is a well-known fact that we can lose weight faster when we workout and there are some workouts that can make the process even faster. While some people chase “super fast” weight loss pipe dreams with fad diets, others choose the smart and effective path of a healthy diet and regular exercise to lose the weight and keep it off.
While there are days in which you feel excited about heading to the gym and engaging in challenging workouts with your friends, other times may not want to do so, and you’d rather be by yourself and workout in your own living room.
The good news is that you can lose weight fast by working out at home. So, whenever you don’t feel like going to the gym, the following home workouts will help you build your muscles and lose weight in the privacy of your own house.
Six 5-Minute Fat Burning Exercises
The following exercises are very effective in building your muscles and helping you lose weight, especially if you have a busy schedule. If you practice these exercises daily, you will lose weight and get your body in shape fast.
You will need a comfortable mat, a towel, and a skipping rope. Don’t forget to hydrate yourself before and after your workout. Let’s get started.
Upside-Down Pipe Exercise – 30 Seconds
This exercise lasts for 30 seconds. It is extremely effective in shaping your abs.
Place your hands on the mat and maintain your body balanced while relying only on your hands and toes.
Stretch your legs next to your body. Next, pull the legs away from your hands, stretching them backward.
Do this exercise for 30 seconds.
It will strengthen your abs, arms, and back.
Leg-lift Exercise – 30 seconds
This exercise focuses mainly on shaping your legs, tights, and abs.
Lie down on your back on the mat. You need to keep your legs close to each other.
Next, lift them up, while keeping them close to each other, as your body’s making the letter L.
As you bring your legs back to the initial position, stretch them in the opposite directions.
Repeat this exercise for 30 seconds.
Squats Exercise – 30 seconds
Squats are always included in cardio exercises because they aim not only at toning your tights but also at shaping your entire figure.
For this exercise, you need to separate your legs and shoulders and lean over as you achieve the perfect squat and muscle contraction.
Try jumping as you go back to the initial position.
This exercise will also improve your cardiovascular health. Your legs will look stunning in no time.
Mat Abs Exercise – 30 seconds
This exercise is great for shaping your abs and tights.
For this mat exercise, you need to lie down on your stomach on the mat.
Next, raise your hands, chest, and legs while trying to maintain your balance on the mat.
Repeat the exercise for 30 seconds.
Knee Exercise – 30 seconds
The greatest thing about this exercise is that it shapes your entire body, while focusing especially on reducing your arm fat.
Lie down on the ground and raise yourself pushing your entire weight on your hands. This is the initial starting position.
Afterward, stretch your left knee, so it touches your left elbow.
Do the same with the right knee and right elbow.
Rope-skipping Exercise – 30 seconds
This exercise is accessible to everybody and is more effective than you might think while at the same time being fun.
Skipping exercises are the perfect solution for shaping your legs, working your abs, improving balance and coordination, and getting a highly effective cardio fat burning workout.
Skip in place as long as your fitness level will allow. Start slow so you can learn to coordinate your skips with the jump rope. Keep your body straight during the exercise.
As you get more fit keep adding more time to each jump rope session and increase your speed.

Negativity can be defined as "the tendency to be skeptical and disagreeable." It could indicate a pessimistic attitude and character that one always expects the worst to come to one's life. Some people think in negative terms and, most likely, they end up bringing negative outcomes into their lives.
Negativity can discourage us from progressing by adding more stress to our daily personal and professional stressful life. It could even put strain on our relationships with those that we value and love. Of course, eventually, it could make us less productive, and could reduce our overall happiness.
Positivity, on the other hand, could very well bring the opposite of that into our lives. I strongly believe that our thoughts shape our future and what we bring into our lives while our actions define our present.
Once Abraham Lincoln said "I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end." This quote, in my opinion, reflects the true positivity that we should have about life as individuals and as communities. Life will be interesting sometimes and fun but it will also be challenging and hard to navigate, some other times. Being committed to try while holding and practicing positivity in every aspect of life allows us to stay strong and navigate such challenges.
How would we really use positivity in our life? How would we use it to develop positive mindset? The answer is very simple; we are the creators of our very own stories; the story of who we are. Each one of us defines, in his or her own mind, what one stands for as an individual. Our mindset is a combination of a wide range of factors such as the set of assumptions that we have about life, or about others, realizing how we are raised and where we come from, and what philosophies we believe in or hold dearly when engaging with others. It is part of our story and our script that we write in our own subconscious mind about whom we really are. If we embrace positive approach in life, we will write our story on such foundation and the opposite is true if we embrace negativity.
I will not go on and give simple steps on how to become positive person. Life is anything but simple. I will simply ask that you create your “me time” reflect on who you really are, as a person, what thoughts and values that you have or believe in, and how you engage with others on daily basis. If you like your story about who you are that is great, then keep adding to it. If you don’t like that story of who you are, simply, re-write it. One final advice, once you get a negative thought about present or future, think of the opposite positive one and believe in it. You will make it part of your story one day in the future.
Mohamed Mossafer, Founder of Healthmace.

Nutrition is defined as nourishment or energy that is obtained from consuming food or the process of consuming nourishment and energy in the proper amounts. Unfortunately, for many of us, proper nutrition is far from what we get from our daily diet. We are obsessed with junk food, processed food that comes from a box and many of us eat little or worse yet no whole real food that provides the body with the proper nutrition that it needs.
The term “proper nutrition” is often misinterpreted by people and most people don’t fully understand how to implement into their daily lives. This article is going to break down exactly what proper nutrition means.
The World Health Organization defines proper nutrition as an adequate, well-balanced diet combined with regular physical activity.
According to the World Health Organization, there are five key points to defining a proper, well-balanced diet for an adult.
The main part of a healthy diet is the presence of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. It is important to get 5 portions or 400g of fruits and vegetables a day.
- It is essential to get a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet, get as many different colors as possible.
- Some examples of legumes are lentils and beans.
- Whole grains include whole wheat, steel cut oats, millet, oats and brown rice.
Potatoes and starchy roots are not classified as fruits or vegetables, they are in fact starches, like grains and should be limited.
Less than 10% of your total daily calories from simple sugars, ideally this amount should be less than 5%. This is equivalent to about 12 level teaspoons for a 2000 calorie a day diet. Simple sugars, include table sugar, sugar found in fruit, added to processed foods and found in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.
Less than 30% of total calorie intake should be from fats.
Most of your fats should be unsaturated fats, such as those found in fish, avocado, nuts, sunflower, olive and canola oils, which are preferable over saturated fats, such as those found in fatty meat, butter, cream, ghee, lard, cheese, and palm and coconut oil.
The American Heart Association advises 7% or less of total daily calories come from saturated fats, which are found in meat, chicken, butter and tropical oils.
Trans fats found in processed foods, fried foods, snack foods, fast foods, frozen pizza, pies, cookies, margarine, and spreads are not part of a healthy diet and should be limited to 1% or less of daily caloric intake.
You should be consuming less than 1 teaspoon, or 5g, of salt per day.
- Iodized salt is the healthier option.
In order to maintain proper nutrition, there are some principles that you need to apply in addition to the ones above from the World Health Organization.
Do not completely eliminate any type of food from your diet. Instead, incorporate all foods into your diet according to their ratio that is set by the food pyramid.
Limit you saturated fats, starch, and sugars, but generously include lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and good fats into your diet.
Consume as much of your food as you can to their raw or original form
Minimize your intake of processed foods and junk foods. These typically offer no nutritional value and are much higher in calories than the natural choices.
Replace your juice with raw fruit and avoid sodas.
Vitamins, enzymes, and fiber are best consumed in the form of raw fruits and vegetables.
Consume six smaller portioned meals in a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, two daytime snacks, and one pre-bed snack will help you feel full and avoid binge eating.
Drink lots of water every day, the general recommendation is to consume at least eight to ten glasses a day.
Simplifying
It is really simple to get proper nutrition, EAT A WIDE VARIETY OF REAL WHOLE FOOD. Fresh meats, vegetables, fruits and low fat dairy will allow you to get all the various nutrients these foods provide. So, toss the boxes, and fill your plate with nature’s goodness and you will see and feel a marked difference in your energy levels, health and weight.

Functional Fitness, also referred to as functional exercise is any workout that adapts or develops exercises that allow individuals to perform activities of everyday life more easily and without risk of injury. The truth is that just because you can lift heavy at the gym and do 20 minutes every other day, does not mean that the next time you lift your 65 pound suitcase on your way to the airport that you won’t throw your back out.
Functional fitness focuses on training the body in such a way that it can handle day to day real life activities, like lugging groceries, picking up kids and others. So, instead of focusing on lifting a certain amount of weight, or the proper form of a particular exercise, functional fitness trains us to become better at real life positions and to perform every day activities that we are all tasked with.
Muscles Working Together
Your typical weight training or strength training workout isolates specific muscles, but, neglects to train the body to use multiple muscle groups together, but, functional exercise does integrate different muscles and through proper form and motion teaches them to work together. This yields an overall fitness to the entire body working in unison.
Finding Balance
While many focus on weights, weight machines and compound exercises, they neglect to address a fundamental need we humans have for day to day life and that is balance. Balance training exercises, like the one legged squat is more useful for everyday life than leg pressing 500 pounds.
Why? Because stability is what serves you in everyday life, like when you have to reach for something in a high cabinet, or walking up and down stairs. Balance is an integral part of everyday life, including, regular tasks of walking, using the stairs and reaching for something, but, it goes beyond that.
Did you know that a balance system that functions properly can help humans to see clearly while moving, orient themselves in terms of gravity, assess direction and speed of movement, and also allows them to make adjustments to posture and stability while doing daily activities. Training your body to control and balance its own weight can serve you when you are young and as you age because it makes you stronger, more stable and therefore allows you to avoid falls, which, are some of the most common injuries seen in seniors.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 adults age 65 or older suffer a fall that results in moderate to severe injuries, including, the debilitating hip fracture or the very serious head trauma, both of which can increase the risks of early death.
Avoiding Compensation
One of the drawbacks of typical strength training workouts is that they leave isolated weakness in the body that then becomes detrimental in day to day movement. While you strengthen certain muscles, like the arms and shoulders, you may inadvertently neglect to train others and that creates a pattern of compensation, which, means that when you use them together to perform daily activities one works harder than the other and that type of strain can cause injury.
Functional exercises teach isolated muscles to work together and thus when you pick up that suitcase, or your child, or reach for something on a high shelf you won’t tweak a weak muscle that is not properly trained. Workouts that include, bending, pushing, pulling, lifting, sitting, reaching, balance and twisting, and those that mimic day to cay life engage the core muscles while at the same time targeting other muscles of the body providing an overall “functional” state of fitness.
There Is More
Functional training goes beyond the above to mitigate bone loss through movements that support body weight and that helps to prevent osteoporosis. The multi-joint, multi-plane movements engage the body’s stabilizers that help to improve coordination, challenge the brain and ultimately serve you to cope with your day to day activities to become more functional.
Components Of Functional Workouts
There are several elements to functional workouts that make them that much more effective. These need to be adapted to each individual's goals and needs.
The workouts should be directed toward one’s specific everyday life activities.
Individualized programs that tailor to the specific goals and needs of an individual. For example, specific exercises that are made for someone age 60 who wants to avoid falls, any adult looking to improve their day to day activity performance, or an athlete training in a specific sport or someone who is in physical therapy and retraining their body.
No matter the circumstance, the workouts should focus on meaningful tasks. The overall state of health of the individual should be considered when assessing the types of exercises to use and the overall training load.
There should be a well-integrated program that includes power, strength, balance, and core exercises that focus on multiple movement planes. The training should progress with increasing difficulty. The training should include varying tasks.
Functional training should be repeated regularly on an ongoing basis.Feedback as to progression is needed either through self-assessment or the assessment of a trainer or physical therapist.
Examples Of Functional Exercises
• Any exercise that involves standing on two feet and supporting yourself while lifting any type of weight is typically a functional exercise. You can really do this at home just by repeating activities that mimic the above.• Balance Exercises - Various balance exercises without weights that teach the body to stabilize itself.• Exercise Ball – The greatest benefit to training using ball exercises is that they target the core muscles that are vital for stability and good posture. There are many different moves with the ball.• BOSU Ball – As opposed to the exercise ball, a BOSU has a round side and a flat side. The BOSU makes any exercise a lot more challenging because it adds an element of instability to each workout as it forces you to use the core to remain steady. BOSU workouts also work to improve strength and help muscles learn to work together that prevents injury in real life. • Bent Over Row - works the back, shoulder and arm muscles and mimics life activities. Think about bending over to make the bed, a mechanic bending to repair a car, a carpenter bending over a saw table, bending over to plug in electronics, even bending down to get something from a low shelf and many more. Much more useful when compared to a seated row, where you are only working the chest and arms, and your body is not activating its core stabilizer muscles, and therefore, it is not learning to use those muscles together because the machine is doing the work.• Stand On One Leg (you can start by holding onto a chair at first, then work to doing it on your own)• One Legged Squat• Lift Off• Single Leg Deadlift• Medicine Ball Squat With Overhead Lift• Medicine Ball Reach• Multidirectional Lunges• Standing Bicep Curls• Step-Ups With Weights• Dumbbell Lunge• Lunge With Back Row• Deadlift• Powerclean• Overhead Press• Front Squats• Chin Ups and Pull Ups• Kettlebell or Dumbbell Swing• Planks
How To Get Started With Functional Fitness
The truth is that functional exercises, like other full body workouts are more difficult than machines, as they are more demanding on the body.
If you are over 40 or have health problems you should check with your doctor before starting functional or any other exercise program. Women are pregnant should check with their doctors as well. When starting functional training it’s best to begin with bodyweight exercises instead of using weights. You can add weights as you get more fit because they will add resistance and, therefore, challenge your body.
Those who are experienced fitness buffs can certainly engage in intermediate and advanced level moves in functional training. These types of exercises can be added into a regular workout routine. It’s important to note that many functional moves have other benefits and target other fitness goals, such as, strength training, fat burning and heart health, so choosing a specific functional exercise in lieu of say using a weight machine kills two birds with one stone.
It is important to learn proper form, and there are lots of videos and resources online that can help.Hiring a personal trainer to teach you some moves is another great way to get started. They can be very helpful with showing you proper form and also for creating a customized workout plan based on your needs and lifestyle.
Final Thoughts
It is never too late to get started with improving your stability and balance that will serve you in your everyday life.
Get functional, stay strong!
Get started today!

Being out in the sun has great effects on your mind and body. If you live in an area where there is plenty of sun, it shouldn’t be so hard to get out into the sunshine but, if you live in an area of the world that has many overcast days, you should be able to find at least a few days where you can find some sunshine to bask in.
Here are five health benefits of spending time in the sun:
Spend time in the sun to get your Vitamin D intake. The major source of vitamin D is being out in the sun. The UV rays of the sun will help build up vitamin D in your body so you won’t have to take a vitamin D supplement. Research has shown that most people don’t have enough vitamin D in their system, which is essential for many bodily functions. Rather than relying on vitamin D supplements, take your vitamin D through a walk in the sun with at least some of your body exposed to the UV rays of the sun. Be careful in really sunny areas as you can be burned by the sun. You should always wear appropriate rating of sunscreen to protect your skin, especially if you have fair skin and burn easily, which will allow for some sun exposure but will help you get enough vitamin D. In general, it is best to spend time in the sun on less heated days and not be in scorching heat.
Spending time in the sun helps you be in nature. There is nothing more relaxing than the scent of grasses, trees, and flowers. If you have the opportunity, you should try to spend time in one of the more natural parts of the world, such as a neighborhood park or other wooded area. You can take in the local wildlife, even if it is just birds and squirrels. Communing with nature helps reduce stress and allows you to function better in your daily life. Even a half hour during your lunchtime spent out in the sun can improve your productivity and can help you have less stress at work.
Spending time in the sun reduces stress. You will likely find that you are less stressed and happier when the day is sunny. You can help increase this stress-reducing phenomenon by spending time outside, soaking up some rays. You can sit on a park bench in the sunshine and meditate a bit or take a walk in a sunny area. You can process your stressors better in the sunshine and will have a lesser chance of being stressed afterward. Try getting out in the sun every day for at least a half an hour. You will immediately experience stress reduction and will find being in the sun to be an enjoyable activity.
Sunlight can reduce cancer risk. While you are at an increased risk of skin cancer if you burn your skin in the sun, sunshine can actually help reduce your risk of developing other cancers, especially if you choose to exercise in the sunshine. Being in the sun, particularly if you live in an area that is at a lower latitude, you will have a decreased risk of getting prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and Hodgkin lymphoma. People who live in higher latitudes have a lesser exposure to the sun so they don’t get as much reduction in cancer risk when compared to those who live in lower latitudes, where the sun is the strongest.
Sunshine can help you sleep better. Being out in the sunshine, especially if you do something relaxing or exercise in the sunshine, you will be more relaxed afterward and will have a better time sleeping later in the day. Just a half hour of sunshine per day has been found to help you get to sleep easier and will help you stay asleep longer. It really doesn’t matter what you do in the sunshine as long as you get out there and get some rays.

Running is one of the very best forms of exercise for improving your health, as well as for building more speed and strength in your legs. It burns a lot of calories and you can do it anywhere.
So why isn’t everyone doing it? There are a few reasons, but one of the big excuses people tend to give is that they find it boring. And granted, steady state cardio like running can seem a little dull at times. It takes a long time and often you won’t be doing much interesting during that period – just hitting the tarmac over and over again...
So the question is, how can you make running fun so that you actually want to do it?
Take Music and Podcasts
One way to make running more enjoyable is to distract yourself with something. Good options here include music and podcasts. While a podcast can give you something interesting to listen to – possibly even helping you to learn while you run – music can help to spur you on and give you a bit more drive to keep pushing past your limit.
Kick a Ball
Running doesn’t have to mean simply running from one spot to another. A good option then is to try running while kicking a ball – kick the ball out in front of you, run to it, and then kick it out in front of you again! This way, you can make it almost like a game of football as you’re running!
Run With a Partner
Running with a partner will likely spur you on to be a little competitive and it certainly makes it a little less lonely.
Oh and there’s no reason that your partner has to be human – running with dogs is perfectly fine too!
Make Games
You can create games for yourself while you run to make it a little less boring. These can be mental games you play in your own head (like trying to spot how many red cars you see), or they can be challenges you set that are related to your run. A good example is to try racing other joggers that you see nearby!
Treadmills vs Running Outdoors – What’s the Difference?
I’m not going to tell you that running on a treadmill is a waste of time, that it’s useless, or that it’s something you should never do. Running on a treadmill definitely has its advantages. Apart from anything else, it allows you to train indoors, which means you can avoid going out in the rain and means you can avoid having to talk yourself into training on wet days. Better yet, this means that you can put on the TV or listen to music without sweaty headphones. And that makes running a lot less boring!
But there are definitely downsides. Big downsides in fact. Read on to find out what those are and why you should reconsider making this your primary way of exercising…
Biomechanics
The first thing to recognize is that running on a treadmill is not biomechanically identical to running outdoors. That is to say, that the way you exercise is different and this results in different results for your muscles.
More specifically, the difference comes from the fact that the floor is moving underneath you. When you run on a treadmill, you are stay completely in spot and the objective is really just to be off the ground long enough to avoid moving backward. This is different to running outdoors, where you are actively pulling yourself forward and reaching out for that next step. The real thing works more muscles in the legs, burning more calories and also improving your technique.
Getting Outdoors
Then there’s the downside of being indoors. One of the best things about running outside is actually just… being outside. That’s because running outdoors means you’re getting fresh air (which is incredibly good for your lungs and your circulation) and it means that you’re getting sunlight. Sunlight means vitamin D, which means stronger bones and more testosterone!
But Then Again…
But don’t write treadmills off completely. While they may not be as good as running outdoors in many ways, they are not only useful for their convenience. One thing treadmills have going in their favor is that they force you to keep running at a set speed and let you set this very precisely. You can’t slow down or inadvertently take it easy as you’re running because the treadmill sets the pace. This makes them ideal for running to a very specific goal and also very good for interval training and the like.
In general, just pushing yourself further and trying to beat personal bests will be an easy way to make running more rewarding and more addictive as well! There are many more ways to make running more fun, all it takes is a little imagination!

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that results in chronic inflammation and pain in the smaller joints, such as those in your feet and hands. It differs from the more common osteoarthritis in that rheumatoid arthritis doesn’t come from wear and tear on the joints but instead affects the synovial lining of the joints so that they swell and become inflamed. Eventually, the cartilage wears away and you end up with bony erosion of the joints and severe joint deformity.
As an autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis happens when the immune system attacks the tissues of the body, in this case, the tissues within your joints. Some people with rheumatoid arthritis develop symptoms in other body areas, when the autoantibodies affect the eyes, blood vessels, skin, and lungs.
Rheumatoid arthritis has been known to affect children but it is usually a disease-affecting people older than 40 years of age. Like all autoimmune disorders, the disease is more common in women than it is in men. Treatment, as you will see later, is focused on reducing your symptoms and preventing further damage to your joints.
Signs And Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, these are some things you can expect:
Joint stiffness that is usually worse in the morning but can last for several hours throughout the day
Joints that are tender to the touch, warm, sometimes reddened, and swollen. As mentioned, this usually involves the smaller joints of the body.
Lumps of tissue beneath the skin near the joints. These are called rheumatoid nodules and may or may not be painful to the touch.
Weight loss, fever, and fatigue. These are the natural effects of autoantibodies in the body tissues.
Swollen PIP joints. These joints connect the hands to the fingers. Eventually the joints of the feet are affected as well. Wrists, ankles, elbows, shoulders, and hips will eventually become affected by this disease. The disease is usually bilateral, meaning that they affect both sides of the body at the same time.
You may have steady symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis or may have symptoms that come and go. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by flares of increased joint inflammation with periods of time where the joints are less affected. The longer you have rheumatoid arthritis, the more likely it is that you will have joint deformities that do not go away.
Causes Of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, which means that your body has made antibodies in the immune system that attack the tissues that line the joints. The synovium or joint lining becomes inflamed and thickened. Eventually the cartilage becomes destroyed, leaving bone to rub on bone. In the most severe cases, the bone itself will erode as well.
The ligaments and tendons that connect the joints to other tissues will stretch out and weaken so that the joint itself begins to become deformed. Exactly how this autoimmune process works is not clear. There may be both environmental and genetic factors playing into who gets rheumatoid arthritis and who doesn’t. It’s possible that genetics interacts with environmental things like infections to result in the disease.
Risk Factors For Rheumatoid Arthritis
There are certain factors in your life that may make it more likely that you’ll get the disease. These include the following:
Family history. If a parent or sibling has rheumatoid arthritis, this may put you at an increased risk of getting the disease.
If you are female, you have a greater chance of getting the disease.
While it can occur in a person of any age, most people are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis between 40 and 60 years of age.
Complications Of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis isn’t just a disease of the joints. There are several complications of the disease that you should be aware of. These include the following:
Lung disease. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you stand a greater chance of also having scarring and inflammation of your lungs, which can cause you to feel short of breath.
You can get thinning of your bones just because you have rheumatoid arthritis. Alternatively, some of the medications used to treat the disease can cause weakened bones.
Heart problems. People with rheumatoid arthritis have a greater chance of having blocked arteries in the heart and an increased chance of pericardial sac inflammation.
Carpal tunnel syndrome. If you have rheumatoid arthritis in the wrist area, it can compress the carpal tunnel, which houses the median nerve. This can result in tingling and numbness of your hands and fingers.
Tests For Rheumatoid Arthritis
In the early stages of the disease, rheumatoid arthritis can mimic other joint diseases, making it difficult to diagnose the disease. A careful physical examination by your doctor, however, might show characteristic findings of rheumatoid arthritis, including swelling of specific joints in the hands and the presence of rheumatoid nodules.
There is a blood test for rheumatoid arthritis that can clinch the diagnosis. It is called the “rheumatoid factor,” which is a test that detects the autoantibodies that are acting on your joints. Other tests for inflammation can help aid in the diagnosis of the disease.
There are characteristic x-ray findings for rheumatoid arthritis. The joints will look deformed and there will be a lack of joint space noted on x-ray as the disease progresses.
Treatments For Rheumatoid Arthritis
Because there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, the treatment is directed at controlling your symptoms and helping you feel better. There are some medications that will slow the degree of joint damage you will experience.
There are several types of drugs used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Some are relatively easy to tolerate, while others have serious side effects that you should be aware of. Doctors usually start with the medications that are easiest to tolerate first. Here are some good treatments for rheumatoid arthritis.
Steroid medications, such as prednisone or prednisolone, are helpful in that they reduce the pain and inflammation of the joints and can reduce the rate of joint damage. Unfortunately, they have side effects, such as osteoporosis, diabetes, and weight gain. Steroids are especially good when you have flares of the disease and are not meant to take chronically.
NSAID medication. These include medications like ibuprofen and naproxen (unless you get one prescribed by the doctor). They are not without side effects, however, and these include liver damage, kidney damage, irritation of the stomach, heart problems, and tinnitus.
Anti-Rheumatic drugs. These medications can actually lessen the damage done by the autoantibodies so that the joints aren’t permanently damaged. Medications in this class include Plaquenil, Azulfidine, methotrexate, and leflunomide. Because they can affect your immune system, they can cause side effect including suppression of your bone marrow, lung infections, and liver problems.
Biologic medications. These represent a new class of medications that act on the immune system so that there is less inflammation and less joint damage. They can cause an increase in infections because they affect the immune system. Choices of biologic medications include adalimumab, abatacept, certolizumab, rituximab, and infliximab.
Physical therapy. You may wish to see a physical therapist who can help you learn various exercises that will keep your joints more flexible. They may also help you learn how to do things around the house that don’t involve using your hands. Assistive devices may be prescribed for you that will help you do things without stressing the joints too much.
Surgery can be done that can repair the damage to your joints. This includes things like joint replacement in which the damaged joints are removed and a prosthetic joint is put in its place. Tendons can also be repaired. In the worst case scenario, the surgeon can fuse the joints together so they don’t rub against one another.

There seems to be no end to the benefits of exercise. Humans need to move or else fall victim to what is often referred to as the sitting disease. If the majority of your day is spent sitting, your overall health will suffer, it can lead to weight gain, heart disease and other serious chronic illness, as you get older. Lack of movement can lead to heart attack, stroke, and a general loss in quality of life in our senior years.
Everyone agrees that exercise is physically great for the body. However, did you know that exercise also has a wide variety of benefits for the human brain? What exactly happens in our brains when we exercise to have such an impressive effect on our mental health?
What Actually Happens In The Brain During Exercise
Exercise causes our heart pressure to rise, which sends a signal to the brain that the body is under stress. In response, a protein is released into our body called “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” (BDNF). This protein is thought of as a “reset switch” – it repairs memory neurons, making thoughts seem crystal clear after exercising and putting the body at ease.
Simultaneously, endorphins are released into the brain, which are meant to limit the degree of pain and discomfort associated with exercise, even creating a sense of euphoria. Like BDNF, endorphins are released in response to the feeling of “stress” brought on by exercise. The term, “runner’s high” is the coin phrase used to describe the surge of endorphins during exercise that act as a natural anti-depressant.
The same antidepressant-like effect from a “runner’s high” results in a reduction in stress level hormones. Additionally, a study conducted in Stockholm showed that running stimulates cell growth in the hippocampus, which is the portion of the brain responsible for memory and learning.
How Our Mind And Body Are Affected
Together, BDNF and endorphins give us a “happy” feeling after exercise. These are somewhat addictive in nature, which is one reason why some people seem obsessed with exercising, although this “addiction” can be a healthy one.
Besides the short-term high from endorphins and BDNF, exercise also has long-term benefits. Studies show that people are happier and more productive throughout the day when they exercise. A Penn State research study showed that people who had worked out within the previous month were happier and more productive at work compared to those who had not exercised (but not quite to the same degree as those who had worked out earlier that day). People who exercise regularly have much better moods than those who don’t and retain a stronger sense of calmness throughout the day.
Exercise affects the brain on various fronts. Not only does it increase heart rate that pumps more oxygen to the brain, it also facilitates the release of various hormones that provides a nourishing environment for the growth of brain cells. Research conducted at UCLA showed that working out stimulates the growth of new neuronal connections in a variety of important cortical areas of the brain.
How To Maximize The Benefits
20 Minutes
Based on this information, you might think that professional athletes are the happiest people on the planet. According to research conducted by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia showed that only 20 minutes of exercise is needed to reach that peak level of productivity, positive mood, and facilitates information processing and memory functions. The key is to turn it into a habit.
Mental And Physical Connection
There is an important mental and physical connection that can increase the benefits of exercise. For example, exercise that integrates different parts of brain activity, such as ballroom dancing that requires rhythm, strategy, coordination and thoughtfulness in movements stimulates cognitive health more than less complex workouts like running or cycling that do not necessarily engage diverse mental abilities.
Adding Exercise To Your Life
Working out in the morning before work or school helps to spike brain activity, prepares you for stresses you may incur during your day, allows for increased retention of new information and learning, and equips you to cope with complex situations that may arise.
Start-off easy – even just 5-10 minutes a day – and gradually increase the length and intensity of your workout. Going to a group or class at the gym makes exercising more fun, and it’s a great way to learn new techniques and to meet new fitness minded people.
However, getting motivated to go to the gym regularly can be a challenge, so try different exercises at home and outdoors in your neighborhood, such as jogging, biking, strength training, etc. Variety is the spice of life, and the more you vary your routine the better for your motivation and your body.
There are many apps on your smartphone that can provide you with workout sets for all experience levels and even guide you through the exercises. Furthermore, apps like Map My Fitness and Nike enable you to track your progress, which is a great way to stay motivated as you watch yourself improve.
Final Thoughts
Remember, the health of your mind and body are closely connected, and exercise is one of the best – if not the very best – ways to improve mental and physical health in both the long-term and short-term. The long-term benefits of exercising regularly are immense – reduced risk of disease, improved mental health, stronger body/muscles, reduced stress, improved digestion, improved blood circulation, and much more. Even just going on a 20-minute daily walk is immensely better for you than staying sedentary. Find a training partner, set a schedule, do whatever you have to do to get those endorphins and BDNF proteins pumping as often as you can!

When approaching a new weight loss routine, it can be difficult to get started. Some of us are more blessed than others are when it comes to easily shedding pounds.
It may be a case of having tried and tried again, only to find that you are getting nowhere, leading to understandable discouragement. This has led you to ask the question whether you would be a good candidate for weight loss surgery.
First, let’s look at the different types of weight loss surgery.
Gastric Bypass- this is by far the most common weight loss surgery; your doctor may also refer to it as RYGB. The basic idea is that the surgeon leaves you with just a small pouch of the stomach that cannot hold much food, meaning that you will eat less. Therefore, the food that you eat bypasses the rest of your stomach, instead going from the pouch straight to the small intestine. It requires just several slight incisions and then a camera to monitor the progress inside.
Adjustable Gastric Band- the band is fitted around the top of your stomach, and it has a small balloon inside of it that will control how tight, or loose, it is. That band will limit how much food can go into your stomach.
Gastric Sleeve- after removing the majority of the stomach, the surgeon leaves a narrow section called a gastric sleeve, which is the upper area. It is indeed to curb the hunger hormone.
Duodenal Switch- perhaps the most complicated of the weight loss surgeries, it uses a gastric sleeve to bypass the small intestine and limits how much you can eat. The drawback, however, is that your body does not have the opportunity to absorb the nutrients from what food you are eating. This could lead to vitamin deficiencies.
Electrical Implant- much like a pacemaker, it works by delivering electrical pulses to the vagus nerve, which is between the brain and the stomach. The vague nerve lets the brain know when the stomach is full.
As with any weight loss surgery, the only way for it to be truly effective is by eating a healthy and balanced diet.
Benefits
Generally, weight loss occurs for up to 24 months after weight loss surgery. At that point, there are people that will regain some weight, but that will certainly not be the case for all.
Medical conditions related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure; often improve as people begin to lose substantial amounts of weight.
For those who have struggled with their weight their entire lives, have tried every diet possible and have lost weight only to regain what was lost and more over and over again find bariatric surgery to be an effective method of reaching a healthy weight and keeping it off.
Risks
As with any surgery, there are risks involved during the actual procedure itself. Following surgery, complications can also occur, including but not limited to:
Vomiting, nausea, bloating, increased gas, diarrhea, dizziness, and excessive sweating when eating too much.
Your doctor can explain in detail all the risks involved.
Requirements Before Surgery Is Approved
Not everybody is eligible for weight loss surgery; however, there are some qualifying requirements from the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery:
An obese adult (a BMI over 40, or between 35 and 39
An obesity related condition, such as type 2 diabetes
Before Surgery Is Performed These Parameters Must Be Documented
You know, and understand, the risks and benefits of weight loss surgery
You are prepared to adjust your diet once you have had the surgery
You are fully committed to adjusting your lifestyle to keep the weight off
Most HMO insurance plans require at least 6 months of nutritional counselling with a dietician or a nutritionist.
Many times if you are smoker, you will be required to quit.
While teens are not typically accepted for weight loss surgery, if there is an extreme obesity problem (i.e. a body mass index of 35 or greater, which as an example would be a height of 5’6” and 220 pounds) in addition to a weight related condition then it is possible for them to qualify for surgery, though all insurance carriers are different. Technically, there is no guarantee that you will be approved even if you fulfil all the requirements above, as all insurance carrier are different. If you are interested in weight loss surgery and feel that you meet these requirements, you should speak to your doctor about how to take the next steps.

Obesity is a major epidemic in the Unites States and in other countries around the world.
In fact, 1/3 of US adults and 18% of kids and adolescents are obese and at risk for serious health complications, such as, Type 2 diabetes, joint problems, heart disease and can lead to premature death.
In addition to the serious health consequences, obesity has a substantial economic impact that affects the country as a whole. The estimated annual health care costs of obesity-related conditions was $190.2 billion in 2010, this equates to almost 21% of all annual medical spending in the United States, and the numbers only continue to rise year after year.
Like anyone else, the senior and aging population needs to address healthy weight management and to be aware how weight gain can cause problems for their health. But, seniors can be even more vulnerable because as we age our metabolism slows and weight gain becomes that much more of an issue.
Loss Of Lean Muscle Mass
Have you ever watched a teenager inhale food like breaths of air and not gain an ounce? A lot of this is due to a higher metabolic rate in our younger years.
Did you know that as we age, our metabolism begins to slow down?
While genetics help determine our overall metabolic performance, having sufficient amounts of lean muscle mass greatly determines metabolism as well because muscle burns more calories per hour than fat, and this means that those who have lean and muscular bodies are able to burn more, even when they are at rest.
Our overall muscle mass decreases as we age, and this slows metabolism by about 2% to 8% per decade. This can be counteracted by performing simple strength training exercises with the use of free weights or weight machines.
Ideally strength training should take place early in life, but especially as we head into our 40s and 50s, because when you maintain lean muscle mass, metabolism is not likely to decrease as much as you age.
Seniors, especially, are more likely to gain weight as their metabolism slows down, which, can lead to obesity and the serious health concerns related to it.
Weight Gain
Lack of activity is the number one cause of weight gain even when we continue to eat as we have our whole lives because of the decrease in metabolism. As our metabolism decreases so does our bodies ability to burn calories. If we keep eating the same amount of food our bodies will start to turn the excess calories into fat. The more over weight we get the less active we become. This in turn leads to more weight gain.
Weight Management For Seniors
The Solution
The solution to reversing and preventing obesity is a combination of diet and exercise. A good diet will cut the number calories that you are taking in, while exercise will burn off calories that you eat. Each one will get rid of some of the excess calories. Together they will get rid of a significant amount of calories.
Finding a balance between diet and exercise is the best way to get rid of unwanted weight.
The basic formula is “calories in and calories out” or burn more than you take in.
Diet
To lose weight we also need to change how we eat. As we get older, our bodies start to secrete less digestive enzymes. This changes how our bodies breakdown and absorb nutrients.
Avoid foods that are high in sugar and fat. Fat contains more calories and can lead to high LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Eat small portions of food more often. The body really only needs about 300-400 calories in one sitting. Any more than that is turned into fat stores. Eating smaller portions will help with weight loss.
Eat more plant based foods, like fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals that the body needs, which, makes them quality calorie foods.
Eat more fiber. Fiber is filling and low in calories. Fiber also aids in digestion. Kale is a super plant food filled with fiber and other essential nutrients. It is very filling and can be eaten raw or slightly sautéed. There are many great plant foods that are filled with fiber, including, broccoli that can be a great weapon in the weight loss arsenal.
Drink more water. Many times thirst feels like hunger, and instead of drinking we eat. Also, drinking icy cold water helps to burn a little more calories as the body needs to warm it as it passes through.
Exercise
Exercise can help you to lose weight by increasing your muscle mass and speeding up your metabolism.
There are many other practical benefits to being active aside from weight loss and building lean muscle mass. Some of these include, increased stamina, endurance, balance, vitality and agility, all of which are helpful in the senior years.
The best exercises for weight loss are aerobic workouts and resistance training.
Aerobic Exercise
An aerobic workout exercises the heart and the cardiovascular system. When our heart beats faster the body burns more calories. The longer you keep your heart rate up the more calories you will burn.
An aerobic workout strengthens the heart and it increase blood flow to the entire body. This provides the body with a rush of nutrients and energy that causes the body to burn while working out and also while at rest.
It is recommended that you do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day, at least 3 days per week, preferably 5 times.
Aerobic activity includes: Biking, jogging, walking, elliptical trainers, various fitness classes, just to name a few.
Resistance Training
Resistance training targets the muscles directly. It is used to increase muscle mass and has a longer effect on burning calories than aerobics. By increasing muscle mass we are also increasing our metabolism. This means that our bodies are burning more calories all the time, and not just during a particular workout.
It is recommended that resistance training should consist of 8 to 10 different exercises. Each exercise should consist of 8 to 12 repetitions. Work until the muscles are fatigued, but don’t strain yourself. These are simple tips that anyone can follow for healthy weight management and an incredible overall health boost at any age, but especially in senior years when the effects of time on our bodies can cause serious health issues.

Oxidative stress is basically a lack of balance between the ability of the body to counteract the negative effects of oxygen free radicals and the production of oxygen free radicals. Oxidative stress can cause changes to the DNA of cells that can ultimately lead to disease—even cancer is believed to be related to oxidative stress.
What Are Oxygen Free Radicals?
An oxygen free radical is a molecule containing oxygen that has at least one unpaired electron. This makes the molecule extremely reactive with other molecules inside the body. They scavenge for molecules to share their unpaired electron with, creating molecular fusions that alter the structure and function of the cells.
The byproducts of this molecular fusion are normally non-reactive; however, some of these molecules can experience metabolic changes within the body that gives rise to highly reactive oxidant molecules. While not all oxygen free radicals are damaging to the body; in fact, some of these molecules are helpful in killing off microbes and other invading pathogens.
Oxygen free radicals have the capability to interact chemically with various components in the cell, such as lipids (that make up the membranes of the cells), protein (that can be structural or enzymatic in nature), and even DNA (our genetic makeup).
What Are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants involve molecules that scavenge for oxygen free radicals, binding to them in a much safer way than binding with cellular components. In the absence of antioxidants, the cell is exposed to serious damage, including becoming cancerous.
Antioxidants prevent damage to the cells by binding to oxygen free radicals so that they don’t bind to crucial cellular molecules.
Oxidative stress happens whenever there is an imbalance between antioxidants and oxidants (oxygen free radicals).
What Is Damaged By Oxidative Stress?
Oxidative stress can account for many pathological conditions within the body. Some of these include inflammatory diseases, heart attacks, heart failure, atherosclerosis, blood vessel disorders, fragile X syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancers, genetic mutations, and neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
What Are Some Oxidants?
There are several types of oxidants, including the following:
O2- (superoxide anion). This is an oxygen molecule that has one extra electron. It is a part of the electron transport chain. While it isn’t very reactive, it can release the iron from ferritin and from iron-sulfur proteins.
H2O2 or hydrogen peroxide. This is formed by the dismutation of O2- or by the direct reduction of the oxygen molecule. It can diffuse across cell membranes, as it is lipid soluble.
OH- or Hydroxyl radical. This is formed by decomposition of peroxynitrite and the Fenton reaction. It is extremely reactive, being able to attack most cellular components.
ROOH or organic hydroperoxide. This is formed by reactions with cellular structures, such as DNA and lipids inside the cells.
RO or ROO. These are organic radicals that have oxygen centered in them. Lipids participate in lipid peroxidation reactions. It is produced along with O2 by the radical addition to hydrogen abstraction or by radical addition to double bonds.
HOCl or hypochlorous acid. This is formed by a reaction between myeloperoxidase and hydrogen peroxide. It is highly reactive and lipid soluble, meaning that it can cross cell membranes.
ONOO- or peroxynitrite. This is formed in a reaction between oxygen and nitrous oxide. It is soluble in lipids and is as reactive as hypochlorous acid.
Reduction or “redox potential” is the ability of a substance to lose or gain an electron. For example, a strong reducing agent will have a greater potential to transfer electrons.
When in the presence of oxygen free radicals, it will cause small changes in the redox potential of a cell, stimulating the cell’s antioxidant system in order to protect the body from the injuries caused by oxygen free radicals. If the reaction is severe enough, the cell can undergo programmed cell death, also known as apoptosis.
Food Sources Of Antioxidants
Purple, Red, and Blue Grapes
Red Berries
Nuts
Dark Green Veggies
Sweet Potatoes and Orange Vegetables
Tea
Whole Grains
Beans
Fish

Migraine headaches are a result of changes within the brain itself. It results in severe headache pain, often associated with sensitivity to smells, sounds, or exposure to light.
Typical symptoms of migraine headaches include:
Severe pain (usually on one side of the head)
A “pounding” sensation in the head
Nausea and vomiting
Sensitivity to sound or light
Eye pain
Not all headaches are migraine headaches as there are other causes of headaches that can present themselves with migraine-like headache pain. For example, people with cluster headaches can present in ways that are similar to migraines. The cause of migraine headaches is unknown. Changes in the neurotransmitter levels in the brain are believed to be a part of the etiology behind headaches.
Causes of Migraine Headaches
There are no blood tests or imaging studies that can diagnose a migraine headache. The only way to make a proper diagnosis of migraine headaches is to look at the patient’s signs and symptoms. Common causes of headaches include eating certain foods, being exposed to loud noises and other strong sensory stimuli, stress, and hormonal changes in the body.
What Exactly Is A Migraine?
While some people call any severe headache a “migraine headache,” migraine headaches are usually the result of certain physiological changes in the brain. These changes occur within the brain and lead to the characteristic symptoms associated with having a migraine headache.
Migraine headaches are usually linked to light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, or odor sensitivity. Additionally, migraines are often associated with nausea and vomiting—things not seen in regular headaches.
Migraine headaches are usually only on one side of the head but sometimes, they can be bilateral. Headache pain from a migraine headache is often described as “pounding” or “throbbing” and it can worsen with physical activity.
Some people will have a warning sign (called an aura) that shows up just before the headache pain begins. An aura can involve numbness or weakness on one side of the body, a blind spot in the eye, or the presence of flickering lights in the field of vision. The aura often lasts several minutes, generally going away as the pain begins.
Risk Factors For Migraines
Around a quarter of all people will experience a migraine headache at some time in their lives. Most people with migraines are women. After the teenage years, the ratio of women to men having migraine headaches is about 3 to 1.
There seems to be a hereditary component to getting migraine headaches so that there is often a family history of migraine headaches in those people who go on to develop migraine headaches.
According to the International Headache Society, migraine headaches are episodic in nature, unilateral, and represent a pulsating pain that is moderate to severe in intensity. It is made worse by physical exercise, and is associated with nausea and vomiting.
Phonophobia is common in migraine headache sufferers. Some patients will have “phonophobia,” which is a sensitivity to sound. Migraine headaches usually last several hours but can last several days.
Treatment Of Migraine Headaches
Medical/Prescription Treatment Options
The treatment of migraine headaches can include over the counter medications or prescription medications. The prescription medications often used to treat migraine pain include frovatriptan, almotriptan, naratriptan, zolmitriptan, rizatriptan, eletriptan, and sumatriptan—all members of the triptan classification of migraine headache relievers.
Other non-medical ways to help migraine headaches include:
Taking preventative medications (to keep a migraine from happening)
Exercises, such as yoga, tai chi, or qi gong, which reduce stress and induce relaxation
Avoiding dietary triggers
Lifestyle modifications such as changing one’s exercise and diet regimen
Most people find that it takes a combination of medications and lifestyle changes to prevent and treat migraine headaches.

You run into people all the time whose chronological age makes them technically, “old age” but whose physical appearance, attitude, and posture make them seem decades younger than their birth certificate would indicate.
On the other hand, you see people who are only 40 to 50 years old that already seem ready for retirement and senescence.
What makes the difference between these two classifications of people?
Many people are overlooking the power of the mind when it comes to the aging process. Those who continue to lead active lives with many social contacts and intact relationships with loved ones often carry the mindset that they are still young. They participate in sports, go dancing, eat out, and enjoy their bodies long after others have given up.
Attitude is everything when it comes to getting older. If you grew up in an era where “old age” happened when a person reached the age of 50 years, you will already feel you have arrived at old age upon your fiftieth birthday.
You tend to turn down opportunities for physical and social activity, increase the times you are sedentary and stop challenging your cognitive mind. When this happens, you truly do lose what you don’t use and you physically and emotionally age much faster than those who maintain physical, cognitive, and social activities well into the age where many others feel just too old to participate in these activities.
How do you get into the mindset of feeling young again?
It’s probably never too late to do this. You first need to recognize that age is just a number and that there are people much older than you who are doing things you may consider “too old” for them without difficulty. Look at people who seem and look younger than their years would otherwise say.
These are people who have refused to give into the meaning of the calendar and who continue to participate in youthful activities, bearing in mind that taking care of their body takes precedence over everything else. They are mentally alert, curious about life, and haven’t given up trying new things.
Compare these people with those who chronically complain about aches and pains, step back from fun and challenging activities, and prefer being sedentary to being more active.
These might be people who decide that they are too old to give up bad habits that contribute to the aging process, such as smoking and drinking alcohol, and have given up the meticulous care of their bodies that it takes to look and feel young.
What kind of person do you want to be?
The difference truly is in your mindset. If you decide that your body is a temple and continue to care for it, challenge it, and respect it, you will have no difficulty seeing yourself as young and vibrant.
Your risk of stressful life diseases will be less and you will feel less stressed in life when you carry yourself better and think of yourself as younger than your chronological age. If instead you dread your birthdays and see the passing of the years as a year closer toward death, your motivation and determination to feel and look young will be diminished and you will reflect that mindset in the way you present yourself to others.
If your ancestors lived long and healthy lives, take solace in knowing that you probably will, too, and you can carry the mindset of youth throughout your middle-aged years and older aged years.
Even if your ancestors did not live long and healthy lives, know that medical advances that focus on prevention and management of chronic diseases are on your side so that you can continue to feel and be young—well into your older years.
Never forget that age is just a number, and it does not dictate, “how one should feel” or “how one should act” at 50, 60 or even 90.

Arthritis
Add turmeric to as many meals as you can. It’s a great way to help your joints since it’s an anti-inflammatory.
For good joint health, keep moving. The more you move the less stiffness your joints will feel.
When you exercise, keep it low impact. Activities that don’t pound your joints are best for arthritis. Try swimming, biking or strength training.
Keep your bones strong by taking a calcium supplement and vitamin D.
Safety is a concern when you have arthritis so use padding when you do things like skating or wearing braces when you play golf or tennis.
If you have a little extra weight, consider losing some. Extra weight puts a strain on your back, knee and hip joints.
Build strong muscles to support your joints. Weight training exercises are a good way to do this.
Don’t slouch. Slouching is hard on your joints.
If you’re having joint swelling and pain, apply ice to the sore joint for 20 minutes or less.
Eating a healthy diet helps build strong bones and muscles which help joints stay strong.

Stress has long been known as a killer. Science has discovered that stress is responsible for almost all our ailments and plays a big factor in life threatening diseases like heart disease.
Here’s how it works:
When we humans feel threatened, whether the threat is real or imagined our bodies go into the freeze, flight, fight mode, also known as the stress response. Our heart starts to beat faster as the kidneys produce adrenaline, which also makes our pupils dilate so we are alert and ready for action. Our breathing becomes shallow and all the blood is diverted away from our internal organs and to our extremities in preparation for flight, or, if necessary, fight.
This is great as a lifesaver, when we are being attacked by a grizzly bear for example. Not that there is much we can do when being attacked by a grizzly bear, except probably to play dead. This would equate to us being in the freeze mode (think of a rabbit in the glare of the headlights).
If we are lucky and the bear decides to spare us, and ambles on its way, we can eventually calm ourselves down and turn off the stress response and, hopefully get back home in one piece, possible never to venture out on a hike in the woods ever again!
Often, however, the stress response is triggered in our more down to earth and day-to-day situations, when our lives are not being threatened. For instance, when we have a deadline to meet at work and the pressure is mounting or we miss the bus to work.
Our body will respond in the same manner as when the bear is chasing us. When we experience chronic stress over a long period of time and the stress response is not switched off it becomes a problem, and it can become a very big problem.
On top of the above symptoms, the muscles in the body tense up in preparation for fight or flight. Over time, this can lead to all sorts of physical problems like stiffness, back problems, and other structural injuries.
Emotionally anxiety and depression have been linked to stress.
Insomnia is another stress related disorder.
In addition, the list of stress related problems goes on: asthma, obesity, heart disease, insomnia, and diabetes have all been linked to stress.
The American Institute Of Stress reports that 70 to 90% of all doctor visits are linked to stress.
Stress is a widespread problem, and especially in the United States, where the modern world has somehow lost touch with the art of relaxation. We rush everywhere, we have too much to do, and the constant attention to our gadgets and devices never gives our brains a rest.
This is where massage can help.
Massage is a wonderful healer and more and more is being touted as an alternative healing modality. It is more than just a luxury pampering treat. Massage is great for stress because it relaxes the body and actually helps to turn off the stress response. It stimulates the para-sympathetic nervous system and turns off the sympathetic nervous system.
This means that the gentle, soothing strokes of a massage cause the body to calm down and relax. The production of adrenaline is slowed. Breathing gets deeper. Heart rate slows, and blood is returned from the extremities to the internal organs so that adequate digestive processes can take place. Massage is the quintessential antithesis to stress!
So rather than seeing it as a luxury, if you lead a busy, stressful life, you can see massage as an essential item in your self-care and good health tool-kit. It will calm you down, relax you, and help you to feel better. It will help you to go slow and come closer to experiencing the present moment. It is a wonderful way to nurture yourself and can be used to release tension, soothe your aches and pains, and reduce the “killer stress.” It helps your body flush out unwanted toxins. Massage is really the getaway for your mind, body, and spirit; a vacation from the constant stressors of the modern world.
Give yourself the gift of self-care and nurturing; consider making it a part of your regular health and wellness routine!

The acid reflux, more commonly known as heartburn, is experienced by a large number of people. In order to prevent heartburn, it is important for you to understand that what actually is heartburn and what are its symptoms. Heartburn is the condition when you feel a burning sensation in your stomach. It generally occurs when the acid in your stomach, flows into the esophagus, instead of getting digested. It causes a burning feeling in the throat and chest. It is better to properly identify the symptoms of heartburn before starting any remedies or medication. Here is a list of some common symptoms that a person may feel during heartburn:
Burning sensation: the burning sensation does not actually occur in the heart or the stomach but can be felt near the breastbone. That is why most people complain of a burning sensation in the chest area during heartburn.
Sore throat: the next part that gets affected the most, after the chest, is the throat. You might feel an unusual soreness in your throat, especially in the back area, which is very similar to the feeling of burning.
Bitter taste: when a person is suffering from heartburn he will usually feel a bitter taste in his mouth. This bitter or sour taste in the mouth or throat is actually caused by the acid.
Difficulty in swallowing: Having such soreness in your throat makes it difficult to swallow anything. You can feel as if you have a lump in your throat which is making it hard for you to swallow.
Coughing: though generally it is not associated with heartburn but cough can also occur. As the top portion of your lungs gets affected, it can cause cough very similar to asthma.
The most prominent symptom of heartburn is that this condition occurs mainly after eating spicy or fried foods. This problem can be easily avoided by improving your eating habits.
Understanding the causes of heartburn
The burning sensation that you feel after eating a heavy meal is known as heartburn. It is commonly experienced by a large number of people all over the world. The main reasons for the occurrence of heartburn are associated with your food intake and lifestyle habits. By understanding the causes of heartburn it becomes easy to avoid this problem. Here is a list of some factors which can contribute in causing the heartburn:
Spice and fried food: Having unhealthy and fatty foods is the biggest reason behind the occurrence of heartburn. The fried and spicy foods contain a high amount of fat and are not easily digested by our body.
Heavy meal at dinner: Eating a heavy meal in the dinner increases the pressure in your stomach. Also people who eat very fast also tend to suffer from heartburn more than others.
Lying down after a meal: Your stomach takes time to digest the food. Lying down just after having a meal causes the acid to flow from the stomach to the esophagus, which in turn causes the heartburn.
Smoking and alcohol: The bad habits of excessive smoking and alcohol consumption are the major reasons for heartburn. Smoking and alcohol intake relaxes the esophageal sphincter that allows the acid to enter the stomach and causes heartburn.
Indigestion: Other unhealthy habits related to food, such as eating heavy meals, not chewing your food properly, having foods which are full of fat and spices, affect your digestion system. It also increases the production of acid in your stomach which then gives rise to the problem of heartburn.
Caffeine: Frequent and large intake of caffeine induced beverages like coffee, tea and soda also causes the acid to enter the esophagus.
You should try to analyze that what causes heartburn in your case because only after identifying the right cause, you can get rid of this problem.
Determine the heartburn type to find out the best remedy
Heartburn is very common digestive problem. Before one looks for a solution for heartburn, it is advisable to first understand the type of heartburn a person is suffering from. One might found it surprising but the fact is that the heartburns are categorized into different types and these types depend upon the cause and the severity of the problem.
One of the most common types of heartburn is the summer heartburn. The stifling heat when combined with fatty foods is likely to make a person more vulnerable to heartburns. If you experience heartburn in this way then you are most likely to suffer from summer heartburn. In this case it is advisable to have light meals which can be easily digested and avoid the acidic foods. Another common type of heartburn is the pregnancy heartburn. During the pregnancy the pressure against the stomach increases which tends to slow down the digestion and because of this the digestive acids remain in your stomach for an extended period. This eventually increases the possibility of acid flow back into the esophagus from the stomach and results in heartburn.
The nighttime heartburn is another type of heartburn which is the most painful and the worst form. The nighttime heartburn usually occurs because of the reason that our body lies in the same position for many hours which tends to relax the esophageal sphincter and the flow of acid into the esophagus becomes easier.
Another common type of the heartburn is the chronic heartburn which is a term used for heartburn attacks which occur twice or thrice a week and is generally more severe. It is advisable to consult a doctor before finding a remedy to treat the chronic heartburn. Knowing and understanding the type of heartburn, one is suffering from makes it easier for him to know the cause and finding the suitable remedy to treat the problem.